Brisbane shopping: Indooroopilly Shopping Centre’s leaked letter to tenants ahead of meeting

IN A strongly worded letter to store owners leaked to The Courier-Mail, an embattled Brisbane shopping centre has issued a stern warning ahead of a crisis meeting involving more than 70 retailers. Read the letter...

INDOOROOPILLY Shopping Centre is in damage control after retailers announced a revolt against centre management following a dramatic fall in foot traffic which has turned the shopping hub into a “ghost town.”

Retailers arrived at their stores this morning to find a letter from centre management warning them not to speak to the media or risk harming “the trading performance of each and every retailer”.

Read the full story on the retailer revolt

“It is important for all retailers to understand that inaccurate or misleading information...can generate negative sentiment towards the Centre and has the potential to harm the trading performance of each and every retailer,” the letter from general manager Leah Mienert said.

SHOCK CLOSURE: Store closes its doors with little notice

“Individual retailer communications are confidential and we encourage retailers to discuss issues directly with centre management.”

A copy of the letter leaked to The Courier-Mail.

The warning comes ahead of a meeting of more than 70 retailers this evening to discuss concerns about a growing number of boarded up shop fronts after dramas with paid parking and rental squabbles have hurt sales.

A number of retailers have contacted The Courier Mail anonymously to support the meeting and customers have added their voice to the row over changes at Indoorooppilly Shopping Centre that have left trade flat and retailers up in arms.

The Courier-Mail’s readers have added their voice to the row over changes at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre that have left trade down, shops closing and traders up in arms.

Retailers at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre in Brisbane’s inner west had arranged a forum to discuss changes at the centre that had reduced it to a “ghost town”.

A number of stores have been closing their doors at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, such as Earthborn, which closed its doors this week. Picture: Tara Croser.

“Indooroopilly was fun when you could spend the whole day there — shop, coffee, shop, lunch, shop,” Margaret Anne McCormack wrote on The Courier-Mail Facebook page.

“Paying to park changes your mindset.”

Jann George said she accepted paid parking, but the layout and design of the car park was “appalling”.

“It takes far too long to exit,” she wrote.

“After shopping regularly at Indooroopilly for 25 years, we now drive to Chermside where we can find most of the stores we need.

“We also use Mt Ommaney Shopping Centre.”

Michelle Gibson suggested free parking on weekends.

“That would encourage the ‘all-day experience’: shopping, lunch, movies,” she posted.

However Anita Leone replied: “I’ve been on a weekend and the parking is an absolute nightmare and a bazillion times worse if you have a toddler in tow.”

Helen Moon added: “When they did the renos there was no thought put into the parking. The parking spaces are miniscule ... so the people have voted with their feet.

“I haven’t been there in months and yet used to go a few times a week.”

Read the full story on the retailer revolt